Last minute Christmas list making!
Share your wish list with us...make it naughty & nice, wacky & wild, mindful, fun and creative.

​Make a list of all the things you did that you wouldn't have done if isolation 2020 never happened.

​Chinese portrait – if I was…

• an animal
• a colour
• a sin
• a painting style
• a time of the day
• a drink
• a fabric
• a mythological character
• a flower
• a public building
• a vegetable
• a fruit
• a dance
• a town
• a writer
• a country
• a piece of furniture
• an object
• a natural phenomenon
• an emotion
• an activity
• a monster
• a song
• an artist
• a spice
• a sport
• a historical year
• a dessert
• a meal
• a movie
• one of the 4 elements
• a verb
• an adjective
• a jewel
• one of the 5 senses
• a sound
• a superhero
• a famous person
• a month
• a day of the week
• a landscape
• movie genre
• school subject
• high tech object

• part of a house 

​Cento

I am currently enjoying a 3 week free poetry course with www.futurelearn.com and through this discovered a new type of poem called a cento, also known as a collage or patchwork poem.  A cento is made with lines from other poems to create a new poem.  It is like a form of appropriation and because we are quoting only one line at a time, we are not infringing copyright.
There are surely many ways to go about it; however, we will experiment with a short two-line cento. 

1. Find two poems that you like.
2. Choose two lines, one from each poem.
3. Place them together how you like, use a theme if you want but it doesn’t have to make sense, have a play around and see what you come up with
4. Make sure you cite the title, author and source of each poem.

​Cinquain

This is a little poem of five lines (from French, cinq = 5) from what I have discovered there are a few different ways to write a cinquain.  The following format focuses on a central theme, matching tenses and point of view and specific numbers of syllables per line as below:

1. 2 syllables
2. 4 syllables
3. 6 syllables
4. 8 syllables
5. 2 syllables

The second, (above), I found in an old school textbook. 
Follow the pattern or instructions to make your own cinquains. 
Which do you prefer?

This week it's all about lists.
Lists are marvelous things and provide endless fodder for all kinds of writing. Answer them quickly or take your time to ponder.
This is only the beginning!

​In a time before internet, social media and blogging, Victorians liked to amuse themselves by playing parlour games, one of which was questionnaires. These were recorded in a confession album and some became quite famous, like this one by the French writer Marcel Proust. (Have a look here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proust_Questionnaire if you are interested in Proust's responses)

Here is Proust’s Questionnaire:
​
1. What is your idea of perfect happiness?
2. What is your greatest fear?
3. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
4. What is the trait you most deplore in others?
5. Which living person do you most admire?
6. What is your greatest extravagance?
7. What is your current state of mind?
8. What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
9. On what occasion do you lie?
10. What do you most dislike about your appearance?
11. Which living person do you most despise?
12. What is the quality you most like in a man?
13. What is the quality you most like in a woman?
14. Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
15. What or who is the greatest love of your life?
16. When and where were you happiest?
17. Which talent would you most like to have?
18. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it
    be?
19. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
20. If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what
    would it be?
21. Where would you most like to live?
22. What is your most treasured possession?
23. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
24. What is your favourite occupation?
25. What is your most marked characteristic?
26. What do you most value in your friends?
27. Who are your favourite writers?
28. Who is your hero of fiction?
29. Which historical figure do you most identify with?
30. Who are your heroes in real life?
31. What are your favourite names?
32. What is it that you most dislike?
33. What is your greatest regret?
34. How would you like to die?
35. What is your motto?

I have written so many lists over the years, some quite ordinary, others more creative. Here are two from 2008 I believe.
Use the list titles to write your own.
​

What to bring to a creative writing workshop

Bring hopes and desires but leave any expectations under the mat. Bring all your senses and something precious. Strange objects and weird photos are handy. Fountain pens make writing feel special…bring different ones in case you don’t know which colour to choose. Bring paper or a notebook, scissors and glue, a scarf to keep your neck warm, something delicious to share and a favourite teacup. Bring a lucky charm. Bring your own writing to read or someone else’s, an old book, some music and a candle. Bring plenty of answers and a few questions.

Things to do while watching a sunset
​
Listen to a man playing bagpipes.
Marvel at the wonder of it all.
Stare at the horizon.
Wish you could do this everyday.
Search for dust trails.
Sigh.
Say a little prayer.
Hum.
Write a list of things to do while watching a sunset.
Collect something from nature.
Hug a tree.
Close your eyes and see what smells you recognise.
Do a little dance.
Sip some sweet tea or wine.
Smile like an idiot.
Read some poetry.

Here is some list fun via Pip at http://meetmeatmikes.com/30-questions-answers/

Pass it on!

30 questions and answers

1. Who are you named after?
No one

2. Last time you cried?
Last week, today?
Some recent sappy book/movie weepiness

3. Do you like your handwriting?
Sure do.

4. What is your favourite meat?
Groovy veggie chic

5. Longest relationship?
9 years

6. Do you still have your tonsils?
Yes

7. Would you bungee jump?
Nope

8. What is your favourite cereal?
Crunchy clusters

9. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off?
Yes

10. Do you think you’re strong?
Figuratively speaking...

11. Favourite ice cream?
Chocolat

12. What is the first thing you notice about a person?
Their energy

13. Football or rugby?
Neither

14. What colour trousers are you wearing?
I’m not.

15. Last thing you ate?
Mushroom and broccoli stroganoff

16. What are you listening to?
The cat purr

17. If you were a crayon, what colour would you be ?
Deep red

18. What is your favourite smell?
Rain, sandalwood, patchouli, lavender, frangipani

19. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone?
Nat

20. Hair colour?
Dark brown usually dyed red

21. Eye colour?
Blue

22. Favourite foods to eat?
Cheese and olives, laksa

23. Scary movies or happy endings?
Happy endings

24. Last movie you watched?
Woman at war
Sing Street

25. What colour shirt are you wearing?
A many coloured patterned dress

26. What is your favourite holiday?
Camping, road trip, exploring

27. Beer or wine?
Wine

28. Night owl or morning person?
Hoot hoot

29. If you could live anywhere, where would it be?
So many places! Though not sure if I have a forever place...

30. Favourite day of the week?
Friday...the weekend begins.

Check out more list inspiration here https://pin.it/8J6ya63

Not experiencing or sharing my finest moments lately. So many emotional outbursts from uncontrollable sobbing to desperate verbal showers...usually at moments when I’d rather be cool calm collected competent professional.
Feeling ANGRY is so foreign.
There is nothing comfortable about it.
I like my creative positive me better.
Time to revive myself and get my sparkle back.
Serious nurturing required, no quick fixes, simple effort action motivation mindfulness and posterior shove. Time to enjoy spring flowers and make more lists!